Two-piece strapping tool

ABSTRACT

A two-piece strapping tool having a manual tensioner and a battery-operated sealer is disclosed. The tensioner is a feedwheel tensioner that uses a serrated feedwheel to grip a first portion of the strap and a tension gripper to hold a second portion of the strap in a stationary position. The tensioner is configured to matingly receive the sealer between the tensioner&#39;s support legs such that the sealer may readily engage the overlapping portions of the strap to be welded. The sealer is battery-operated and uses a vibrational-type weld assembly driven by an electrical motor to weld overlapping portions of the strap. The sealer also includes a cutting assembly to sever the welded strap from a strap source.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a tool for tightening strap around anobject or load and adhering the strap onto itself. More particularly,the present invention is directed to a two-piece strapping tool,comprising a manually-operated tensioner and a battery-operated sealer,that is configured to tension a strap around a load, weld or melt-adherethe strap onto itself and sever the strap from a strap source (e.g.,supply).

Strapping tools (or “strappers”) are well-known in the art. These toolscome in a wide variety of types, from fully manual tools to automatic,table-top tools. Such tools generally are designed for use with eithermetal strapping or plastic/polymeric strap.

Strappers for applying plastic or polymeric strapping materials can beof the automatic, table-top type or portable, hand-held type and can beeither electrically or pneumatically driven. This is necessary in orderto provide energy for tensioning the strapping material and adhering thestrap onto itself. Typically, the adhering function is provided bymelting or otherwise welding a section of the polymeric (plastic)strapping material onto itself. Such melting or welding operations aregenerally carried out using ultrasonic or vibrational-type weldassemblies. The movement or vibrational motion can be provided byelectrical, electromechanical or fluid drive (hydraulic or pneumatic)systems.

The prior art has developed several types of portable strappers. In onesuch exemplary prior art strapper, a pneumatic system is used to drivethe motors to tension the strap (driving a tensioning wheel), and tomove a vibrating element that is in contact with interfacial surfaces ofoverlapping plastic strap portions. The tool includes a pneumaticcircuit to route the compressed gas (air) to the appropriate functionalelements (clamps and motors) through valves and the like. In such atool, the various functional elements are large and as such can becumbersome. In addition, many such tools use one or more large (andheavy) mechanical clutch(es) to hold or clamp the strap followingtension.

Thus, the prior art has developed smaller, more compact and morelightweight hand-held strappers, also known as “combination tools”because such tools combine the functions of tensioning, welding andcutting the strap into a single, one-piece hand-held device. Once suchprior art strapper is battery-powered device that incorporates anelectromechanical tensioning mechanism along with an electromechanicalwelding mechanism. In one embodiment, the strapper operates by usingbattery-powered electric motor to tension the strap around the load in afirst stage, then using a second battery-powered electric motor tofrictionally weld the strap to itself in a second stage. In anotherembodiment, a single electric motor may be used to drive both thetensioning and welding stages.

While the design of such one-piece, hand-held, battery-powered strappersis a significant improvement over the prior art, the prior art has notaddressed the additional advantages that may achieved by separating thetensioning and welding functions into separate, independent components,with the tensioning component being manually-operated and the weldingcomponent being battery-operated. Separating the tensioning and weldingfunctions into two separate components, while seemingly inconsistentwith the prior art trend to consolidate strapper functionality intosmaller and more compact one-piece devices, provides several significantadvantages.

For example, the weight of each of the two individual components is lessthan the weight of a prior art one-piece strapper tool. Thus, thetwo-piece system is lighter, less cumbersome and easier to manipulate.Additionally, by making the tensioning function a manual operation, thebattery life of the welding component is advantageously extended sinceno battery power is used in the tensioning operation. Finally, by makingthe tensioning function a manual operation, a higher strap tension isdesirably achievable because the tensioning power of battery-operatedstrappers is limited by the battery strength and the size and strengthof the motor driving the tensioning function.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a hand-held strapping tool thatseparates the tensioning function and the welding function intoindependent components. Desirably, the tensioning function isaccomplished using a manually-operated tensioner that tensions a strapabout a load and maintains the desired strap tension during the weldingprocess. More desirably, the welding function is accomplished using abattery-operated sealer that uses a vibrational-type weld assembly toweld overlapping portions of the strap and a cutting assembly to cut thestrap from the supply. Most desirably, the tensioner is configured tomatingly receive the sealer, such that the sealer may be positionedbetween the tensioner support legs in order to readily engage theoverlapping portions of the strap.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a two-piece strapping tool having amanually-operated tensioner and a battery-operated sealer.

In the preferred embodiment, the tensioner is a feedwheel tensioner thatuses a serrated feedwheel to grip a first portion of the strap and atension gripper to hold a second portion of the strap in a stationaryposition. The feedwheel rotates to draw up the slack in the strap toachieve the desired tension.

The tensioner holds the strap in a tensioned state until the overlappingportions of the strap are welded using the sealer. The tensioner isconfigured to matingly receive the sealer between the tensioner'ssupport legs such that the sealer may readily engage the overlappingportions of the strap to be welded.

The sealer in the preferred embodiment is battery-operated and uses avibrational-type weld assembly driven by an electrical motor to weld theoverlapping portions of the strap. The sealer also includes a cuttingassembly to sever the welded strap from a strap source.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, in conjunction withthe appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The benefits and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art afterreviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the tensioner of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the tensioner of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sealer of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the sealer of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is perspective view of the tensioner and sealer of the presentinvention positioned to weld a strap; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of the tensioner and sealer of the presentinvention positioned to weld a strap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, there are shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be describedseveral preferred embodiments with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention andis not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsillustrated.

It should be further understood that the title of this section of thespecification, namely, “Detailed Description of the Invention,” relatesto a requirement of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, anddoes not imply, nor should be inferred to limit the subject matterdisclosed herein.

The two-piece strapping system of the present invention comprises amanual tensioner and a battery-operated sealer. The tensioner isconfigured to receive and tension a strap about a load. The tensioner isfurther configured to matingly receive the sealer between thetensioner's support legs such that the sealer may readily engage theoverlapping portions of the strap to be welded.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, tensioner 1 is of the type generally known inthe prior art. In the preferred embodiment tensioner 1 comprises afeedwheel tensioner, however other types of manual tensioners may beused without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Tensioner 1 comprises a handle 2 pivotally mounted to a frame 3. Frame 3is an open structure comprises an integrated support leg 4, anintegrated frame handle 5 and a base 6. Support leg 4 and base 6 havegenerally flat bottom surfaces to allow tensioner 1 to rest firmlyagainst the load being strapped. Frame 3 is further configured such thatthe distance between support leg 4 and base 6 forms an opening 9 withinwhich the sealer may be positioned into order to weld the strap, asdiscussed below.

Also mounted to frame 3 is a drive mechanism 7 and a serrated feedwheel8. Drive mechanism 7 is configured to engage both handle 2 and serratedfeedwheel 8 such that when handle 2 is rotated pivotally about frame 3,handle 2 drives serrated feedwheel 8 and causes it to rotate.

As is known in the art, handle 2 drives a pinion gear 11 in cooperationwith drive pawl 12. Pinion gear 11 is rotatably mounted to handle 2using a drive pawl pin 54. Drive pawl 12 engages pinion gear 11 in aratchet-like fashion and drives pinion gear 11 when handle 2 ispivotally rotated in a rearward direction (in the direction of arrow Rin FIG. 1). When handle 2 is pivotally rotated in a forward direction(in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1), drive pawl 12 disengages frompinion gear 11 and does not drive pinion gear 11. In this matter, handle2 can drive pinion gear only when handle 2 is pivotally rotated in arearward direction (such as when handle 2 is used to apply tension tothe strap as further discussed below). Drive pawl 12 is biased intoengagement with pinion gear 11 with a drive pawl spring 55.

Drive pawl 12 further includes a means to disengage drive pawl 12 frompinion gear 11. In the preferred embodiment, drive pawl 12 includes atab 56 extending upwardly from drive pawl 12. Tab 56 is configured topermit a user of tensioner 1 to manually disengage drive pawl 12 frompinion gear 11 by moving drive pawl 12 away from pinion gear 11. Thispermits handle 2 to be repositioned without rotating pinion gear 11.

Pinion gear 11 is configured to engage with a tension gear 13 such thattension gear 13 rotates upon rotation of pinion gear 11. Tension gear13, in turn, is mounted upon a feedwheel shaft 14, such that as tensiongear 13 drives feedwheel shaft 14 when tension gear 13 is rotated.Retaining pawls 15 are configured to engage feedwheel shaft 14 in aratchet-like manner (much like how drive pawl 12 engages pinion gear 11)and to prevent feedwheel shaft 14 from rotating in a direction oppositefrom the direction feedwheel shaft 14 is driven by tension gear 13.

Feedwheel shaft 14 is configured to engage serrated feedwheel 8 suchthat feedwheel shaft 14 drives serrated feedwheel 8 when feedwheel shaft14 is driven by tension gear 13 and pinion gear 11. As noted above,serrated feedwheel 8 is formed with surface deformations, serrations inthe preferred embodiment, that are configured to securely engage anupper surface of the overlapping portions of the strap and urge theupper portion of the overlapping strap in a direction intended to causethe strap to tighten about the load.

Frame 3 further includes an integrated channel 16 through whichoverlapping portions of the strap pass in order to be engaged bytensioner 1. Channel 16 includes a tension gripper 10 mounted on thebottom surface of channel 16. Tension gripper 10 is configured tosecurely engage (or grip) the bottom surface of the overlapping portionsof the strap and to maintain the lower portion of the overlapping strapin a generally stationary position relative to the upper portion of theoverlapping strap. In this manner, the strap may be tightened about theload to achieve the desired tension.

The operation of tensioner 1 is well known to those skilled in the art.A strap is fed from a source (such as from a roll) around a load to besecured. The end of the strap is looped about the load and thenoverlapped on top of itself. Tensioner 1 is placed against the load andthe overlapping portion of the strap is positioned within channel 16such that serrated feedwheel 8 engages the upper surface of the upperportion of the overlapping strap, and tension gripper 10 engages thebottom surface of the bottom portion of the overlapping strap.

Handle 2 of tensioner 1 then is pivotally rotated in a forward andrearward direction (or cranked) about frame 3 of tensioner 1, whileframe handle 5 is held to maintain tensioner 1 in a relatively fixedposition against the load. As handle 2 of tensioner 1 is cranked,feedwheel 8 urges the upper portion of the overlapping strap in adirection that causes the strap to tighten about the load. Once thestrap is tightened to a desired tension, tensioner 1 holds the strap ina tensioned state until the overlapping portions of the strap are weldedusing the sealer, as discussed below.

To release tensioner 1 from the tensioned and welded strap, handle 2 isrotated in a forward direction (in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1)causing cam portion 57 of drive pawl pin 54 to ride against cam surface58 of bearing plate 59. This causes drive pawl 12 to rotate out ofengagement with pinion gear 11. Continued forward rotation of handle 2urges bar 60 formed at the base of handle 2 into contact with the upperfaces 61 of retaining pawls 15 and causes retaining pawls 15 todisengage from tension gear 13. This permits tension gear 13 to freelyrotate and feedwheel 8 to disengage from the strap, allowing thetensioner 1 to be removed from the strap.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, sealer 20 is a battery-operated sealer thatuses a vibrational-type weld assembly driven by an electrical motor.Sealer 20 is configured to accept overlapping portions of a tensionedstrap (tensioned using tensioner 1 as described above) and to weld aportion of the overlapping strap in order to maintain the strap in adesired tensioned state about a load. Sealer 20 also preferably includesa cutting mechanism to sever the welded trap from the source.

In the preferred embodiment, sealer 20 is constructed as a one-pieceunit having an outer housing 21. Preferably, housing 21 is sealed in awatertight manner to permit use of sealer 20 in inclement conditions.

Sealer 20 is configured at one end with a battery compartment 22 forholding a rechargeable battery 23 for portable tools as is known in theprior art. In the preferred embodiment, battery 23 is a 14.4V batterymanufactured by Bosch, but any suitable battery may be used.

Preferably, battery compartment 22 includes a hinged access door 24 toallow for easy access to battery 23 for charging and/or replacingbattery 23. A gasket 25 preferably is disposed between access door 24and housing 21 to maintain the seal of housing 21.

Sealer 20 further comprises a handle 25 formed in housing 21 andconfigured to allow sealer 20 to be portable and easily transported andused in various orientations (e.g., horizontally and vertically).

Sealer 20 also includes a motor 26 mounted within housing 21. Motor 26is an electric motor operatively connected to an electrical assembly 27.Electrical assembly 27 includes a circuit board 28 programmed to controlthe operation of motor 26 as well as connector 30 to interface withbattery 23 and to allow battery 23 to power circuit board 28 and motor26.

In the preferred embodiment, circuit board 28 is potted, such as with acured epoxy, as is known in the art, to provide moisture resistance tothe electrical components on circuit board 28. Additionally, in thepreferred embodiment, circuit board 28 includes a low voltage cutoffdevice 62 as is known in the art. The low voltage cutoff device isconfigured to cutoff power to motor 26 when battery 23 does not have asufficient voltage level to adequately power sealer 20.

Electrical assembly 27 further comprises a switch 29. Switch 29 in thepreferred embodiment is a lighted push button switch as is known in theart. Switch 29 is disposed in housing 21 such that the lighted pushbutton of switch 29 extends through housing 21 and is accessible to auser of sealer 20. Switch is coupled to circuit board 28 and motor 26such that actuation of switch 29 activates motor 26.

Sealer 20 further comprises a vibrational-type weld assembly in thepreferred embodiment. The general design and operation of thevibrational-type weld assembly of sealer 20 is known in the art.

In the preferred embodiment, an upper weld gripper 34 is vibrated bymotor 26. To this end, motor 26 includes a shaft 35 on which is mounteda pulley 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4. A drive belt 32 is trained aroundpulley 30 and around another pulley 31 which is mounted to the lower endof an eccentric shaft 33. Eccentric shaft 33 is disposed within a cavity36 that extends vertically through housing 21.

Disposed vertically within cavity 36 is a vibrator arm 37 pivotallymounted to a piston 41, also disposed vertically within cavity 36.Vibrator arm 37 includes a bore 38 through which eccentric shaft 33passes. Eccentric shaft 33 further includes a plurality of bearings 43mounted thereupon and configured to limit the movement of vibrator arm37 in a generally reciprocating manner in a direction transverse to thelongitudinal axes of the overlapping portions of the strap (that is,from the front of sealer 20 towards the rear of sealer 20). The use ofan eccentric shaft and bearings to control movement of a vibratingmember in known to those skilled in the art of vibrational-type weldassemblies used in strappers, and those skilled in the art willrecognize that a number of alternate are various configurations andstructures that can be used to achieve the same vibrational motion.

Piston 41 is biased downwardly in cavity 36 by a plurality of springs 39disposed between piston 41 and a top cover 40 of housing 21. In thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, top cover 40 is removableand springs 39 are replaceable such that different sized springs may beused to adjust the downward (normal) force exerted by the springs onpiston 41 and, ultimately, on the strap during the welding process.

On the lower end of vibrator arm 37, an upper weld gripper 34 ispivotally mounted. Upper weld gripper 34 is configured to align with abase plate 42 mounted on the bottom of housing 21, with the overlappingportions of the strap disposed therebetween during the welding process.

In the preferred embodiment, upper weld gripper 34 and base plate 42 areformed with serrations configured to engage the overlapping portions ofthe strap during welding process. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that there are various additional configurations andstructures that can be used to engage the strap during the weldingprocess.

Sealer 20 further comprises a handle 44 mounted to a pair of lift arms45 and disposed beneath handle 25. Lift arms 45 are pivotally mounted tohousing 21 using a handle pin 46. Lift arms 45 are further configured toengage piston 41 through a piston pin 47 such that when handle 44 israised upwardly (that is, towards handle 25), lift arms 45 force pistonupward in cavity 36 (against the biasing force of springs 39).Consequently, piston 41 causes upper weld gripper 34 to rise upwardly,thereby increasing the gap between upper weld gripper 34 and base plate42 and allowing overlapping portions of the strap to be loaded betweenupper weld gripper 34 and base 42.

Sealer 20 also comprises a cutting assembly 48 mounted to housing 21adjacent to cavity 36. In the preferred embodiment, cutting assemblyincludes a pair of cutter guides 49 mounted to housing 21 and creating achannel therebetween within which a cutter insert holder 50 is slidablymounted such that cutter insert holder 50 can move in a verticaldirection (that is, towards the top and bottom of sealer 20). A cutterinsert 51 is mounted to the bottom of cutter insert holder 50 and isconfigured to engage the upper portion of the overlapping portions ofthe strap and to sever the upper

A cutter pin 53 engages cutter insert holder 50 and operatively connectsit to piston 41 such that piston 41 causes cutter insert holder 50 torise upwardly (when handle 44 is raised upwardly), thereby raisingcutter insert 51 and allowing overlapping portions of the strap to beloaded between upper weld gripper 34 and base 42. A spring 52 biasescutter insert holder 50 downward such that when handle 44 is releasedand piston 41 moves downwardly, cutter insert holder 50 also movesdownwardly.

The operation of sealer 20 is known to those skilled in the art. Handle44 is gripped and moved upwardly towards handle 45, thereby causingupper weld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51 to rise upwardly to expandthe distance between upper weld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51, andbase plate 42. Sealer 20 is positioned such that overlapping portions ofa strap then are disposed between upper weld gripper 34 and base plate42 and handle 44 is released, allowing upper weld gripper 34 and cutterinsert 51 to move downwardly and to engage the upper portion of theoverlapping strap while forcing the lower portion of the overlappingstrap into engagement with base plate 42.

Switch 29 is then depressed, thereby activating motor 26 which causesvibrator arm 37 and upper weld gripper 34 (and the upper portion of theoverlapping strap) to vibrate rapidly while base plate 42 (and the lowerportion of the overlapping strap) remains stationary. The frictioncaused by the rapid vibration generates heat which in turn melts theoverlapping portions of the strap and adheres (welds) them to oneanother.

At the same time, cutter insert 51 is in contact with the upper portionof the overlapping strap and cutter insert 51 cuts the upper portion ofthe overlapping strap to separate the strap from the source.

After the welding process is complete, handle 44 again is gripped andmoved upwardly towards handle 45, thereby causing upper weld gripper 34and cutter insert 51 to rise upwardly to expand the distance betweenupper weld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51, and base plate 42, allowingthe welded strap to be disengaged from sealer 20.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two-piece strapping tool of the presentinvention uses a combination of tensioner 1 and sealer 20 as describedabove. A strap S is fed from a source (not shown), such as a roll, andaround a load (not shown) to be secured. The end of strap S is loopedabout the load and then overlapped on top of itself. Tensioner 1 isplaced against the load and the overlapping portion of strap S ispositioned within channel 16 such that serrated feedwheel 8 engages theupper surface of the upper portion of the overlapping strap, and tensiongripper 10 engages the bottom surface of the bottom portion of theoverlapping strap.

Handle 2 of tensioner 1 then is pivotally rotated (or cranked) aboutframe 3 of tensioner 1, while frame handle 5 is held to maintaintensioner 1 in a relatively fixed position against the load. As handle 2of tensioner 1 is cranked, feedwheel 8 urges the upper portion ofoverlapping straps in a direction that causes the strap to tighten aboutthe load. Once strap S is tightened to a desired tension, tensioner 1holds strap S in a tensioned state.

Sealer 20 then is positioned in opening 9 formed between support leg 4and base 6 of tensioner 1 and handle 44 is moved upwardly to cause upperweld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51 to rise and allow insertion of theoverlapping portions of tensioned strap S between upper weld gripper 34and base plate 42. Unlike prior art combination tools, sealer 20 isfront loading and engages the overlapping portions of tensioned strap Sfrom a direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the overlappingportions of tensioned strap S.

Once the overlapping portions of strap S are properly aligned betweenupper weld gripper 34 and base plate 42, handle 44 is released and upperweld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51 move downwardly to engage the upperportion of the overlapping portions of tensioned strap S and to forcethe lower portion of the overlapping portions of tensioned strap S intoengagement with base plate 42.

Switch 29 is then depressed, thereby activating motor 26 which causesvibrator arm 37 and upper weld gripper 34 (and the upper portion ofoverlapping portions of tensioned strap S) to vibrate rapidly while baseplate 42 (and the lower portion of overlapping portions of tensionedstrap S) remains stationary. The friction caused by the rapid vibrationgenerates heat which in turn melts the upper portion and lower portionoverlapping portions of tensioned strap S and adheres (welds) them toone another.

At the same time, cutter insert 51 is in contact with the upper portionof the overlapping portions of tensioned strap S and cutter insert 51cuts the upper portion of the overlapping portions of tensioned strap Sto separate strap S from the source.

After the welding process is complete, handle 44 again is gripped andmoved upwardly towards handle 45, thereby causing upper weld gripper 34and cutter insert 51 to rise upwardly to expand the distance betweenupper weld gripper 34 and cutter insert 51, and base plate 42, allowingthe tensioned and welded strap S to be disengaged from sealer 20.Tensioner 1 then is released from tensioned and welded strap S in themanner previously described.

From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications andvariations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit andscope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to beunderstood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodimentsillustrated is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure isintended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fallwithin the scope of the claims.

In the present disclosure, the words “a” or “an” are to be taken toinclude both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference toplural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular.

All patents referred to herein, are hereby incorporated herein byreference, whether or not specifically done so within the text of thisdisclosure.

1. A two piece strapping tool for tensioning a strap around a load,adhering the strap onto itself, and cutting a feed end of the strap,comprising: a manual tensioner; and a powered sealer; wherein thetensioner comprises a frame having a support leg, a base, and an openingdefined by a distance between the support leg and the base, and whereinthe tensioner is configured to matingly receive the sealer in theopening, and wherein the sealer comprises a housing having a cuttingassembly mounted thereto, and wherein the sealer is configured to engagean overlapping portion of the strap, the overlapping portion of thestrap having an upper portion and a lower portion, while at least aportion of the sealer is disposed in the opening of the tensioner,wherein the sealer comprises a vibrational-type weld assembly driven bya motor, the vibrational-type weld assembly including a piston disposedin a cavity formed in the housing, a vibrator arm disposed in the cavityand connected to the piston, an upper weld gripper mounted to thevibrator arm, a base plate mounted to the housing of the sealer anddisposed in alignment with the upper weld gripper, and a handleoperatively connected to the piston and configured to move the pistonwithin the cavity; wherein the upper weld gripper and the base plate areconfigured to accept and engage the overlapping portion of the straptherebetween, and the motor is operatively connected to the vibrator armby an eccentric shaft, and the vibrator arm is configured to vibrate theupper weld gripper when the motor is activated.
 2. The strapping tool ofclaim 1 wherein the vibrational-type weld assembly further comprises atleast one spring disposed adjacent to the piston and configured to exerta biasing force against the piston.
 3. The strapping tool of claim 2wherein the at least one spring is replaceable with at least onesubstitute spring configured to exert a different biasing force againstthe piston.
 4. The strapping tool of claim 1 wherein the motor isoperatively connected to the vibrational-type weld assembly by aplurality of pulleys and a drive belt.
 5. The strapping tool of claim 1wherein the motor is controlled by an electrical assembly, wherein theelectrical assembly comprises a circuit board programmed to control themotor.
 6. The strapping tool of claim 5 wherein the circuit board ispotted.
 7. The strapping tool of claim 5 wherein the circuit boardincludes a low voltage cutoff device.
 8. The strapping tool of claim 5wherein the electrical assembly further comprises a lighted switchconfigured to control operation of the motor.
 9. The strapping tool ofclaim 1 wherein the upper weld gripper and the base plate are formedwith serrations configured to engage the overlapping portion of thestrap.
 10. The strapping tool of claim 1 wherein the cutting assemblycomprises: a plurality of cutter guides mounted to the housing anddefining a channel; a cutter insert holder disposed within the channel,the cutter insert holder configured to slidably move within the channel;a cutter insert mounted on the cutter insert holder, the cutter insertconfigured to engage and sever the upper portion of the overlappingportion of the strap.
 11. The strapping tool of claim 1 wherein thesealer is configured to weld the overlapping portion of the strap when alongitudinal axis of the housing is disposed transverse to alongitudinal axis of the overlapping portion of the strap.
 12. Atwo-piece strapping tool for tensioning a strap around a load, adheringthe strap onto itself, and cutting a feed end of the strap, comprising:a powered sealer comprising a housing having a cutter assembly mountedthereon, wherein the sealer is configured to engage overlapping portionof the strap, the overlapping portion of the strap having an upperportion and a lower portion; a manual feedwheel tensioner comprising aframe having a support leg, a base, and an opening defined by a distancebetween the support leg and the base, wherein the manual feedwheeltensioner is configured to matingly receive the powered sealer in theopening; said manual feedwheel tensioner further comprising: a handlepivotally mounted to the frame; a drive mechanism mounted to the frame,the drive mechanism having a rotatable feedwheel configured to engagethe upper portion of the overlapping portion of the strap and to causethe upper portion of the overlapping portion of the strap to moverelative to the lower portion of the overlapping portion of the strap; achannel formed in the frame and configured to accept the overlappingportion of the strap; a tension gripper mounted on a bottom surface ofthe channel and aligned with the feedwheel and configured to engage thelower portion of the overlapping portion of the strap and to maintainthe lower portion of the overlapping portion of the strap in astationary position relative to the upper portion of the overlappingportion of the strap; said drive mechanism further comprising: a piniongear rotatably mounted to the handle; a drive pawl mounted to the handleand configured to engage the pinion gear; a feedwheel shaft; a tensiongear mounted on the feedwheel shaft; and a least one retaining pawlmounted to the frame and configured to engage the feedwheel shaft;wherein the handle is operatively connected to the drive mechanismwhereby the handle drives the feedwheel and causes it to rotate, andwherein rotation of the feedwheel causes the strap to tighten around theload; wherein the pinion gear is configured to engage the tension gearand cause the tension gear to rotate upon rotation of the pinion gear,and wherein the tension gear is configured to cause the feedwheel shaftto rotate upon rotation of the tension gear; wherein the drive pawldrives the pinion gear in a direction; and wherein the at least oneretaining pawl prevents the feedwheel shaft from rotating.
 13. Thestrapping tool of claim 12 wherein the feedwheel comprises surfacedeformations.
 14. The strapping tool of claim 13 wherein the surfacedeformations comprise serrations.
 15. The strapping tool of claim 12wherein the drive pawl further comprises a tab configured to permit thedrive pawl to be disengaged from the pinion gear.
 16. The strapping toolof claim 12 wherein the housing of the sealer further comprises awatertight enclosure.
 17. The strapping tool of claim 12 wherein thesealer is powered by a battery.
 18. The strapping tool of claim 17wherein the housing of the sealer further comprises a hinged access doorconfigured to allow access to the battery.